Lighter



sept. 4, 192s. 1,682,892

L. DE GOLL LIGHTER Filed Dec. 5, 1923 TEEFZ.

Patented Sept. 4, 192s.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.y

LOUIS DE GOLL, F PARIS, FRANCE.

LIGHTER.

Application led December 5, 1923, Serial No; 678,623, and in France December 5, 1922.

The invention relates to improvements in portable lighters or torches in which the ignition or lighting of the inflammable member such as the wick is accomplished by friction of a hard substance, preferably steel or similar substance, against a pyrophorio stone. v

The object of the invention-is to produce a lighter of small size, in which the spark is brought in direct and absolute contact with the wick or inflammable material without elfort, the deterioration of the pyrophoric stone being reduced to a minimum.

The invention consists in covering the wick carrier with a cap carrying a pyrophoric stone, which cap has to be removed to release the Wick. The pyrophoric stone comes into contact during this movement with a hard body carried by the wick holder so that the spark ignited by the friction of the stone and of the hard body against one another is produced in an enclosed chamber in the interior of the cap, and this insures its proper vaction on the wick or other inam' mable member.

Several methods of carrying out the 1nvention are represented in the annexed drawings, in which Fig. l is a vertical cross section of a pocket lighter made according to the present invention; l t

Fig.` 2 is a side elevation of a modification of my invention; 1

Fig.y 3 is a vertical cross section showing the invention in its application to a gasoline torch, the cap. being raised;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross section of the cap 'or hood employed in these different 4o lighters; Y l p Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged cross sectional views of modified forms. 4

As shown by the drawings, this lighter device comprises a housing or body l over 45 which a friction cap 2 tits, the body of the lighter being hollow in its upper `part so -as to form a chamber 3 called the lighting chamber in 'which the sparkis produced. The hood 2 of substantially cylindrical form no is provided in the'direction of its length with an opening d containing a pyrophoric stone 7. The side ot the upper part of the lighter housing is cut away, as shown at 5 on Figures l, 3, 5, and 6 iter the purpose of ist opening Achamber 3, and carries in any convenient form, a piece ot metal or other suitor wearing away able hard material 6 adapted to be ground or rubbed against the pyrophoric stone 7 when the cap 2 is slid oli" the lighter houslng l. This friction produces the spark which penetrates chamber 3 through the slot 5 and reaches the inflammable material or Wick, the cap not being yet disengaged from houslng 1. It will be observed that at the moment when the spark is produced the chamber 3 isstill closed by cap 2 so that this spark, produced in a closed chamber, 1s conveniently isolated and directed and certain to reach the material to be ignited.

lPreferably cap 2 is formed of a flat piece of metal rolled into cylindrical form with overlapping edges as shown in Fig. 4, so that 1t is possible to exert a certain pressure on the edges to tighten them While the cap is being slid down, thus insuring a tight contact ot the stone 7' and the striker 6. I can thus give to the cap a slightly conical form, the flexibility of press the two edges together for opening and closing the cap and for'this purpose can use a ring sliding thereon adapted to be turned in the desired directionto produce the contraction necessary to the application of the striker 6 against the stone 7. This is particularly advantageous to compensate for deterioration in the stone 7 The conical form which is given to the upper part of the' lighter housing l makes such compensation easier. It is sufficient in fact to slightly incline the cap 2 to apply it more tightly against the conical part in question While slipping it thereon to assure friction of the striker 6 against the stone 7. I can besides compensate for the deterioration of the stone by means of a spring interposed between it and the bottom of its attachment.

The striker can be composed f any appropriate piece of material and be mounted in the thin metal tending to l anyv convenient fashion. It can be formed for example of a section of file pressed and positioned so as to come into contact With the stone 7. In order to compensate for doterioration or Wearing away of the stone I can also mount a striker ilexibly as shown in Fig. 5. In this modification the striker 6 is placed across the side of the lighter` housing obli uely and is furnished with a linger 8 whic prevents it from becoming disengaged. A spring 9, located in a small socket or tube 10 forms part of the hou ing and serves to push it toward the outsideIthus maintaining it in contact with the stone llo I 7 ndmatter how the same has been worn away. It is interstriker and the pressure thus exerted is yshown in this modification the upper `mits it `to be screwed in the body almost always much stronger than is necessary to get good results, a considerable deterioration of' the stone results which does not take place in the present system.

The striker can also be made an integral partof the lighter as shown in Fig. 6. As

art

of the housing 1 turns' back so as to {Edrm a flexible finger 11, the edges of which bear against the stone 7 and generate a spark when the cap is withdrawn It -is evident that these different variations permittingthe production of a spark in a closed chamber are a of lighters whether t ey emplo wicks or inflamable liquidssuch as gaso ine. Figs. 1 and '2 show two sorts of wick lighters while Fig. 3 shows the application of the system to a gasoline torch. In the example in Figs. 1 and 2 the wick end 12 is placed in a tube 13 screwed or otherwise fixed to the body of the lighter 1 and can be slipped down so that its lighting end can be placed close to the striker, that is to say at the portion where the spark is produced. The wick can be., removed and re laced in any convenient manner for examp e b means of a socket or ring 14 provided wit la holder or point running in the tube 13 and entering into the body of the wick. It is lsuflicient to turn ring 14 or in some other `manner cause the wick to turn in its length in .order to make it assume the desired position. The guiding oove of ring 14 can be formed longitudine. y on the tube 13 as shown at 15 on Fig. 2 and the regulation .of the wick is thus obtained simply by the dis lacement of the ring 1.4 toward the top or ttom. The'modification shown in Fig. 3'can be usedon a gasoline torch or4 even as a little pocket lamp. The part of this device which constitutes the body 16 ofthe lamp is provided with a threaded shoulder which perof the lighter. This lamp body 16 can be made in any convenient manner and can be fur- -nished as usual with a pipe 17 for the wick with a fillingapparatus 18, a threaded cap 19 closin its extremity in order to permit it to be filed with gasoline. y

It -is evident that the different variations which have just been described admit of various modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention, for inplicablev to all sorts the groove 2O cut into -cap slidably' mounted on the casing,

stance the striker can be afiixed to the cap andthe stone to the body of the lighter. Interchange of wick is also of no consequence as the basic idea of the invention lies in the fact that the spark is produced in an enclosed chamber, insuring the efficacy of its action on the wick. It also consists in the direction of the movement of the friction so as to cause the spark to be projected towards the'wick and to fall in this direction. The friction not only 4makes the visible spark, but, at the same time, it disengages small particles of the pyrophoric stone in a condition of incandescence, which also acts in igniting the wick. They are .heavier than the visible spark, and are more certainl directed downward towards the wick. he flexibility, from an angle of frictionl of the striking steel and its range or distance of action and its passing beyond the stone, all contribute to provide a spark of the highest incandesc'ence and igmting power, and to direct it properly.

` A further feature of the invention is the fact that the Wick is entirely contained in the body of the lighter, obviating the inconvenience of all lighters havin an inflamlnable fuse, which carry a long use extending beyond the body of the lighter.

. claim:

1. A portable lighter comprising a body portion, a-striker attached thereto and a cap provided with a p rophoric stone fitting over the lighter bod the said ca being formed from a flat piece of meta Vrolled into cylindrical form with overlapping edges which tend to contract 'the cap into diminished diameter and press the striker against the .pyrophoric stone.

2. A portable lighter comprising a body portion and a cap provided with a pyrophoric stone, a striker carried by the body portion and formed therefrom by curving lthe extremity of the body portion to pro- 'vide a flexible point which bears frictionally upon the stone while the cap is being removed. j

3. A portable lighter having a su port for a wick, a casing extendingl be on the end of the wick to provide a c am r about the wick, the casing being open at one side, a

a pyrophoric`stone carried by the cap o posite the open side of the casing, and a stri er carried by the casing in a position to engage the pyrophoric stone as the cap is said cap being formed of flat sheet metal rolled to form a cylinder having overlapped edges whereby the same is resilient to. ress the pyrophoric stone inwardly.

igned at Paris, in the Republic of France, this 21st day of November 1923.

Louis DE GoLL.

withdrawn,

llU 

